Middletown Town Council votes against increasing campground fee

Wednesday

MIDDLETOWN, R.I. – For now, the seasonal fee at the Second Beach Family Campground in Middletown will not be increased.

The Town Council deadlocked with a 3-3 vote on a proposal to increase the seasonal fee by $2,000 this summer, and another $2,000 next summer, at the campground on Sachuest Point Road.

The vote now sends local leaders back to the drawing board about what changes to make — if any — at the campground and nearby Sachuest Beach.

* BACKGROUND: Adding parking at Middletown beach could end campground

Council President Robert Sylvia, Vice President Paul Rodrigues and Councilman Rick Lombardi were in favor of raising the fees, with council members M. Theresa Santos, Barbara VonVillas and Antone Viveiros against and Councilman Dennis Turano absent.

Council members pledged to revisit the item at a public hearing at the council’s next meeting at Town Hall on Monday, March 5, at 7 p.m. Several campers thanked VonVillas, Santos and Viveiros afterward, shaking their hands as they sat on the council dais.

“We are a community that depends on the tourist economy,” VonVillas said. “We must value what it gives us and not abuse it because we can. There is right and there is wrong. I believe that the campground fees should be increased as they have been in previous years, but an increase of $4,000 over two years is — to use the trite expression — highway robbery.”

“It’s back to the drawing board,” Rodrigues said, smiling. “We heard the message loud and clear and we will come back with something that’s more in line with what the council — all of us — want.”

“If (Turano) had been here tonight, it would have passed,” Sylvia added. “It is what it is and we’ll bring it back up at the next meeting and see what happens.”

Normally not the topic of much discussion in the off season, the campground has been in the news a lot over the past month. The conversations began after a council subcommittee studying Sachuest Beach proposed a plan to close the campground and turn it into a “resident-only” parking lot.

* ALSO: Campground users argue against proposed cost increase

That was one of about six dozen recommendations from the subcommittee led by council Vice President Paul Rodrigues, and council members Rick Lombardi and M. Theresa Santos.

The study came about after issues were raised with the perceived “looseness” of the beach operation last summer, and theft of more than $6,300 and 1,000 parking stickers from staff offices during a mid-July break-in. No arrests have been made in that case.

The council ultimately reversed course at its last meeting earlier this month after concerns were raised about the potential loss of revenue as a result of closing the campground. The meeting was attended by dozens of campers, who came from as far away as Pennsylvania to protest the proposal.

Instead, the council opted to propose a $2,000 increase in the seasonal fee for this summer, and another $2,000 hike for next summer.

Despite the fate of the campground fee seemingly already decided — including the adjusted amount included in a renewal email last week from the town — a group of about a dozen campers asked the council to reconsider.

Steve Cheney of Foxboro, Massachusetts, said the 41 percent-plus increase proposed by the town would force many campers — most of them elderly — out of their vacation homes.

Andrea Barrette of Chepachet said she is thankful the campground won’t be converted into a parking lot, but the proposed fee hike was more than most could bear.

“The increase came out of nowhere and blindsided every one of us,” Barrette said.

Prior to the meeting, the group also circulated a list showing the fees and amenities of similar campgrounds across the region. According to the list, none of the fees were close to the $6,800 in Middletown — although several people also acknowledged that none of the other campgrounds are located across the street from a world-class beach.

Lorraine Starr of Worcester, Massachusetts, asked for the council members to put themselves in the shoes of the campers. For Starr, who’s been visiting the site for nearly 50 years, it is tough to image there not being a campground anymore.

“Be fair with us,” Starr said. “We’re humans; we’re a family down there and we take care of it.”

After all the campers spoke, VonVillas said she was too surprised by the proposed fee increase at the last meeting to mount any vocal opposition. But VonVillas said she wanted to make sure everyone heard her loud and clear Monday night.

“I do believe that increases to the campground are necessary and valid, but $2,000 in one year and then again $2,000 the year after is not only onerous, it is excessive,” VonVillas said. “I remind this council that most campers choose to camp because they can stay here for a longer period of time at a rate that does not break the bank.”

After the meeting, Cheney and others said they appreciated the support.

“Anything they can do for us is a huge positive,” Cheney said outside the council chambers. “For a lot of us, this is the difference between saving our summer or having to try to find somewhere else to go. No one is saying not to raise it at all, but there’s only so much we can afford, especially when a lot of us are on fixed incomes.”

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